Chapter 12: Together

                                    

                                          
Astrid's POV
                          
Cheers erupted from all around the Meade Hall as Hiccup and I climbed onto our respective dragons, who had baskets full of our belongings strapped to their sides. We waved to the people who had all gathered around to see us off, wide grins on our faces as we both exchanged a knowing look and took off on our dragons. 
                          
As our dragons sailed calmly over the reddening sky, I couldn't help to glance at my new husband out of the corner of my eye. Husband. That was going to take some getting used to. 
                          
But as I discreetly watched him, the man who brought me so much joy and happiness, I couldn't help stop a wave of nervousness from washing over me. Truth be told, that wasn't the first time I had been feeling nervous that day. The first wave came in the morning, followed by a second one before I was set to walk down the aisle, a third one washed over me during the ceremony and as we flew towards the sunset on the first day of our honeymoon, the fourth wave hit me. 
                          
The first waves had been the normal wedding jitters, being left at the altar, everything going wrong, so on, so forth. But the fourth wave was completely different from the others. You see, a Viking union doesn't end at the kiss, nor at the reception, it ends in the bedroom, where the newlyweds are expected to consummate their marriage. And if the newlyweds don't consummate their marriage, their marriage doesn't count. 
                          
And that was the thing that shot spirals of nervousness and slight fear up my spine, the consummation of our marriage. 
                          
The isle of Berk has many wedding traditions, most of which take place before the actual wedding, including the 'Big talk' a tradition in which one is forced to have a talk about 'the most important duty of a wife' with both the widows and wives of Berk.
                          
"All you have to do is just lay there silently and let him do his thing," Alma, one of the many widows on Berk informed me as we sat around the hearth in Valka's hut. "I highly recommend that you zone out during that time, it makes the whole experience that much more bearable."
                          
I slowly nodded, my eyes widened to the size of a dinner plate as I pictured the scene in my mind. 
                          
"Oh, don't you scare her with that talk, Alma!" Valka scolded the older woman as she handed me a cup of tea. "Don't listen to her, Astrid, Alma's marriage wasn't one of love, like yours will be. Take it from me, it is a wonderful and romantic experience which gets even better with the right partner. Though I have to warn you, there is a possibility you will feel some pain, but don't fret over it, I assure you, it will be something you won't forget!"
                          
"You okay?" Hiccup is voice rang through my head as I snapped out of my thoughts and back into reality. I turned to him and was met with a smile that made my heart skip a beat. 
                          
"Huh? Yeah, just thinking." I shot him a small smile, Alma and Valka's comments still dancing around my mind. 
                          
Hiccup raised his brow at me as he chuckled. "What about?"
                          
I froze. Gods, I really did not want to tell him how much I feared what was going to happen that night, so I quickly scoured for something to help me out of the sticky situation I was in. 
                          
"Isn't that the island?" I asked, changing the subject as I pointed down at an island ahead of us with white sand beaches, tall mountains and thick forests. 
                          
"What? Oh, wait, it is. Let's land on the beach." Hiccup instructed before shooting me a smile and diving down towards the island with Toothless. 
                          
I patted Stormfly on the neck. "Let's get them, girl!"